WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY POLICY ON PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE AND ATTIRE Revised August 2009 Revised December 2011 Revised January 2013 Revised August 2015 Revised September 2016 Revised May 2017 Revised October 2017 Revised January 2018 Revised August 2018
WVU SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY POLICY ON PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE AND ATTIRE Introduction Health Sciences students, staff, and faculty are required to place a high value on personal appearance, including attire. Concerns for infection control, communication, and cultural sensitivity have dictated the development of this policy. This policy governs the dress of all faculty, staff and students of the School of Dentistry. Patient trust and confidence in the dental practitioner constitute an element essential to successful treatment experiences and outcomes. The message communicated by the caregiver through her/his dress and appearance plays an elemental role in establishing this trust and confidence. Evaluation of faculty, staff and students will include this element of professionalism. Enforcement of Policy Faculty, staff and students are responsible for the enforcement of this policy. Infractions should be addressed immediately with the offending party and corrective action should be taken. The student/employee may be asked to leave and change into appropriate attire. Incidents must be reported to the party s immediate supervisor as follows: Student/Employee Graduate Students/Residents Dental students 1 st year, 2 nd year Dental students 3 rd year, 4th year Dental Hygiene students 1 st year, 2 nd year Dental Hygiene students 3 rd year, 4th year Staff Faculty Supervisor Graduate Program Directors Advisors Team Leaders Program Director Clinic Supervisors Director of Clinical Education and Patient Care Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Patient Care 2
Violations of this policy should be submitted electronically to Karen Thorn in the Office of Clinical Education and Patient Care. She will forward the complaint to the appropriate supervisor as noted on page 2. http://intranet.hsc.wvu.edu/sod/clinical-affairs/policies/anonymous-dress-code-violation-form/ Supervisors will be responsible for documenting incidents (see form below) and counseling individuals who violate the policy on Professional Appearance and Attire. If trends in policy infractions are noted for an individual, the supervisor must report this to the Dean if it involves a faculty or staff member or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs if a student is involved. WVU School of Dentistry Dress Code Violation Form Date incident took place Date reported Name of person reporting incident (optional) Name of person violating policy Nature of the violation: Action taken: Date of counseling session Outcome of counseling session with supervisor: Signature/Supervisor Signature/Student, Faculty, Staff 3
I. UNACCEPTABLE CLOTHING The following dress is unacceptable for all faculty, staff, and students of the School of Dentistry in any location of the Health Sciences Center while school is in session and during breaks: Denim jeans, dresses, jackets, shirts or skirts regardless of color, cargo pants, form-fitting pants, i.e., yoga or sweat pants, cut-off pants, or shorts Leggings (Leggings may be worn if they are covered by a tunic that extends just above the knee or longer) Tight clothing (Clothing must be of sufficient size to conceal undergarments, tattoos, piercings and/or exposed skin and waistbands must be worn at waist level) Midriff tops, tee shirts, halters, tops with revealing necklines, single or multiple tank tops unless covered by an acceptable jacket, shirt or sweater Baseball caps or hats of any kind No rubber flip-flop shoes II. STANDARD ATTIRE IN HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER A. DRESS CLOTHES (Women) 1. Dress slacks, crop pants, or capris 2. Dresses, skirts, skorts just above the knee or longer 3. Blouses/dress shirts 4. Clean dress shoes B. DRESS CLOTHES (Men) 1. Dress slacks 2. Dress crew or collared shirts 3. Clean dress shoes 4
C. SCRUBS 1. Scrub tops and pants of matching and appropriate color must be worn as a set (See Section II.C.7). Each dental class will be assigned a color of scrubs that must be worn by all students in that class to identify them. Colored scrubs for each dental class will be determined by the Clinical Science Curriculum Subcommittee, Dress Code Advisory Group. The Class of 2019 is assigned Ceil Blue; Class of 2020 is Grey; Class of 2021 is Royal Blue and the Class of 2022 is Navy. Student name must also be embroidered on scrubs. Students who change class status for academic reasons will have 4-6 weeks to adopt the color of scrubs indicated for their new class designation. 2. Pants must be permanently hemmed so they do not drag on the floor. 3. Scrubs must be clean and free of wrinkles. 4. Coordinating scrub jacket or a white lab coat over scrubs is recommended when not wearing a disposable cover gown. 5. A clean plain crew or v-neck shirt with long or short sleeves (no turtlenecks) may be worn. Shirts must be tucked in under scrubs 6. Scrubs must be of sufficient size to conceal undergarments, tattoos, piercings and/or exposed skin, and waistbands must be worn at waist level 7. Student scrubs sets must be a solid color. Scrub tops or white lab jackets with the school logo are not permitted to be worn outside of the building unless the individual is conducting official School business. D. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION REGARDING STANDARD ATTIRE 1. Standard attire must be worn by all faculty, staff, and students while school is in session and during breaks; students attending evening classes must wear standard attire. 2. Logo scrub tops must not be worn outside of the building. Scrub tops or white lab jackets with the school logo are not permitted to be worn outside of the building unless the individual is conducting official School business. 5
3. Lab coats, SoD logo sweatshirts, fleece or sweaters may be worn in the classroom or lab for climate reasons. These articles of clothing are not permitted in the clinic during patient care hours. 4. Adequate precautions must be taken to maintain good personal hygiene. Such precautions include regular bathing, use of deodorants, daily shaving, clean and tidy hair and regular oral hygiene. Beards and mustaches must be grown during sufficient recess from school to ensure that they are mature and tidy. Beards and mustaches must be neatly trimmed. III. CLINIC ATTIRE (Standard Attire Plus the following:) A. Personal protective equipment (PPE) -- glasses with side shields or face shields, masks, gloves, and School-approved disposable gowns -- must be worn during all patient treatment and may be worn from one treatment area to another. PPE may not be worn until patient arrival and may not be worn outside the dental school clinical treatment areas. B. Small posts, balls, or earrings of less than 1-inch length or a maximum of 5 mm in diameter may be worn only in ear lobes (maximum of two holes per ear). Gauges and spikes are prohibited. Body piercings in other locations must not be visible. Plain wedding bands and watches are permissible. No bracelets, dangling jewelry or other rings may be worn. Exceptions may be made for cultural reasons. C. Visible tattoos are not part of an overall professional appearance. If hired/admitted with visible tattoos, the tattoo(s) is/are required to be concealed as much as is possible unless such covering of the tattoo creates a safety or infection control issue. Such exceptions must be approved by the Associate Dean or Director for Clinical Education and Patient Care. All materials used to cover tattoos or piercings must be approved in advance by the Associate Dean or Director for Clinical Education and Patient Care. Any covering of tattoos or piercings that does not support the effort of the School of Dentistry to create a favorable impression to our patients will not be permitted. 6
D. Regardless of gender, long hair must be secured in the back of the head. Hair must be secured neatly away from the operator s face and must not be able to fall forward. Hair cover (caps, bandanas, etc.) is prohibited. Disposable surgical bonnets are available if needed, particularly for aerosol-producing procedures. Culturally required hair cover should be concealed by a bonnet. Feathers and ribbons in the hair are not permitted. Acrylic headbands, clips, etc. that can be cleaned are acceptable. Hair should be a natural color (ex. blue, pink, green, etc. hair colors are unacceptable.) E. Males must shave daily. F. Beards and mustaches must be grown during sufficient recess from school to ensure that they are mature and tidy when in clinic. Beards and mustaches must be neatly trimmed. Facial hair must be contained by a pleated mask any time dental procedures are being performed for a patient. If facial hair is not fully contained by a pleated mask, a facial hair net must be worn. G. Hosiery, socks, and close-toed shoes must be worn by all faculty, staff and students involved in direct patient care. Shoes must be clean with closed toes and a solid upper surface accompanied by clean, appropriately colored socks or hosiery of sufficient length to cover exposed ankles. Socks or hosiery do not need to be fluid impervious, but efforts must be made to cover exposed skin. High-heel dress shoes should have heels no higher than 3 inches including platform. H. Clean short fingernails must be maintained so they will not penetrate gloves or pose a safety risk or violation of infection control guidelines. Artificial nails and colored nail polish are prohibited. Clear or flesh colored nail polish is acceptable. I. Clothes that smell of smoke, strong colognes, strong perfumes, and strong hair spray must be avoided. J. School of Dentistry UPC identification cards are to be worn on external garments by all individuals in the HSC. The protective clinical gown must be intact at all times; therefore pens, ID, etc. must be worn beneath the gown. School, honor pins, etc. may be worn only on standard attire. 7
IV. LAB ATTIRE A. Standard attire (dress clothes or scrubs). Dress clothes may be covered with a lab coat or a School-approved disposable gown to protect clothing. (See II. C. 4, 7). Until air-handling issues in the labs and classrooms are resolved, visible tattoos on areas of the body that are normally exposed will not require coverage in these settings. B. Shoes must be clean with closed toes and a solid upper surface accompanied by clean, appropriately colored socks or hosiery of sufficient length to cover exposed ankles. Socks or hosiery do not need to be fluid impervious, but efforts must be made to cover exposed skin. C. Goggles or full coverage glasses with side shields. D. Facial masks for procedures involving splatter and chemicals. E. Regardless of gender, long hair must be secured in the back of the head. Hair must be secured neatly away from the operator s face and must not be able to fall forward. F. Plain wedding bands and watches are permissible. No bracelets, dangling jewelry or other rings may be worn. Small posts, balls, or earrings of less than 1- inch length or a maximum of 5 mm in diameter may be worn only in ear lobes (maximum of two holes per ear). Gauges and spikes are prohibited. G. Faculty in charge of laboratory personnel will determine their appropriate dress code based upon their job functions. H. Adequate precautions must be taken to maintain good personal hygiene. Such precautions include regular bathing, use of deodorants, daily shaving, clean and tidy hair and regular oral hygiene. Beards and mustaches must be grown during sufficient recess from school to ensure that they are mature and tidy. Beards and mustaches must be neatly trimmed. I. Ear buds are not permitted in lecture or preclinical laboratory courses. 8
V. STAFF Staff will be expected to wear attire as noted below. Acceptable attire must be worn during work hours. Staff designated to wear scrubs may wear matching print or solid scrub tops with their solid scrub pants. Dental Assistants: Standard Clinic Attire / Scrubs Dental Hygienists: Standard Clinic Attire / Scrubs Nurses: Standard Clinic Attire / Scrubs Central Processing Staff: Standard Clinic Attire / Scrubs All Other Positions: Standard Dress Attire VI. SPECIAL OCCASIONS/EVENTS The Dean may announce/allow a dress reflective of a special holiday or University function at his discretion during the year. This dress must not interfere with job function or the educational process and must not pose a safety risk or violation of infection control guidelines. Furthermore, he may also require a particular form of dress for special dental school events, such as Alumni Day. Regardless of the event, unacceptable attire, as delineated on page 4, is prohibited. VII.CELL PHONES Cell phone use is not permitted during SoD hours of operation including classroom, laboratory or clinical sessions with the exception of instructor directed activities using TurningPoint software in class. Cell phones must be silenced and stowed when in any of the aforementioned settings. In clinic, cell phones may be accessed while in the Student Communications Center only. If a personal issue exists and another party requires phone access to you during the daytime hours, please give that party the telephone number for Room 1055 (304) 293-3511, your Department (if applicable) and/or the Dean s office (304) 293-2521. You will be contacted immediately if a call for you should occur. Cell phones are not permitted in the classroom or laboratory during testing of any kind. 9